This Project We Call Life

Ticking

It’s less than a month before my missions trip to California and safe to say… I’m freaking out a bit. I know the “everything works out” and “God will provide” cliches, and they are true, but I still can’t help but to worry. I have no idea what to expect, but I know I should be expecting big things to happen. I’ve never really been on a missions trip longer than a week, and I know I will be tested and many times discouraged - that which I am not looking forward to, but I know the end result is one of glory, splendor, and majesty. For it all goes back to God. I know I’ll come out stronger and more faithful, I’m just not exactly looking forward to the hardships that lead to that. 

On a brighter note, I am excited about spending the summer talking about Jesus and getting to know more people. 

If you’d like to help me be less anxious and support me through prayer and finances feel free to check out this site: gcx.org/connie-zhou

It’s one more way to help me freak out less.

So Long, Farewell

So it’s that time of the year when goodbyes are more often than hellos and nice to meet yous. It sure is something when people say “see you later” without realizing, that well, no, I probably won’t see you later, and if I do, it really is much much later. 

Time moves much too quickly. Research shows that time moves faster as you get older because your mind stops making new connections, but if there’s anyway to freeze time and to take it slowly, I’d be all up on that. 

It’s the same from when I graduated high school, thinking that I wanted time to stop, but looking back now, I’m so glad I’m out of high school. What I thought was a huge deal back then really is nothing now. Still, I can’t help but want to keep everyone I’ve ever had the honor of knowing in the same place at the same time.

Life moves on, and it’s weird not seeing many people until January or even senior year (and some never). But I wish everyone the best in all their endeavors. Life is a grand mystery, and everyone that’s been part of mine so far helped make life less complicated.

When the Hardest Decision is the Easiest

Last night I turned down an incredible opportunity for my career, an internship with a top international ad agency in Taiwan. The cards seemed all set, it would’ve been an amazing résumé builder, experience, and possibly effect my future career’s trajectory.

When I told some others in my major, the common reaction is ‘what! Are you crazy?’

But someone once told me that when you’re faced with a tough decision, think about it 10 years from now, which memory would you want?

I thought about an infinite years from now, eternity.

So this summer I’ll be on a missions trip in SoCal ministering to college students and working in the Cru offices on their design team.

Yeah, it would’ve been awesome to be in Taiwan interning, but man, God has bigger plans. I’m ready to make an impact for Heaven. So my supposed hardest decision this summer became the easiest. God speaks clearly, all that is needed is the courage to say “here am I, send me.”

Beauty, Treasure It

Dove has continued its Real Beauty campaign with the Real Beauty Sketches by ad agency Ogilvy & Mather. 

It’s gotten wonderful feedback, and of course there are those hipsters who have to hate on it and critique it because everyone else is loving it.

One of the most popular critiques is the argument: why are we still focusing on beauty? People need to stop putting so much value in beauty. Blah blah blah.

I’m here to back up this campaign, and no, it’s not because I’m an ad person.

The truth is we’re programmed to like beautiful things. That’s why it’s so valuable to us. There’s a little something called scopophilia - the pleasure of looking. Here’s a little lesson in whatever field this falls under (Science? Psychology? History? Anthropology?). There’s more to that definition and it derives a lot from something called the “male gaze”. It’s got a pretty negative undertone. It’s related to sexuality, degrading women as an object, etc. Regardless of all that, scopophilia is why so many critics are extremely critical of the latest Dove campaign.

An article titled “Why We Love Beautiful Things” by The New York Times essentially indicates that we’re physically moved by beauty. It’s in us, it’s innate to us, and it drives us. Beauty is a part of human nature. We can’t help but love beauty.

That is why we need to value beauty, it’s in us. If we can’t find the beauty in us, we can’t love ourselves. So for all the critics saying we need to place less emphasis on beauty, that cannot be any more wrong. They need to realize that beauty is, well, beautiful and we love it.

Now what is wrong with society is the PERCEPTION of beauty. Many of us think it’s strictly visual. We see art and call it beautiful. We see someone and call him or her beautiful, but what many don’t realize is beauty is more than a tangible form.

Beauty is, in my definition, when everything comes together for the better. So yes, a person can be beautiful strictly on physical attractiveness if that is all there is to being human. But we all know that’s not the case. 

Humans are more than they’re skin, body, and facial structures. Humans have depth. We hold emotions, thoughts, personality, and spirituality. So if someone is physically beautiful, but their personality is ugly, then their beauty is flawed. We all hold some beauty, and the goal is to treasure what we have, not what we don’t have. And it is DEFINITELY NOT to be the most beautiful creature on earth. 

You may not have the most beautiful eyes, but find beauty somewhere in yourself and treasure it. Your beauty cannot be taken away by anyone other than yourself. You will be the most beautiful person you can be when you radiate beauty by acknowledging it yourself, and others will know it.

Also, beauty is all relative. It really does reside in the eye of the beholder. Attractiveness is more than beauty, and when you’re attracted to something, you find it beautiful, and well, many people are attracted to what other people may think as not beautiful.

Something I like to say (which holds a ton of truth for me): I like to make ugly faces because once you embrace the ugly in you, you can embrace all of you.

So here’s to imperfectness. Here’s to beauty. We all have it, we just have to find it and value it.

My Views are Right

America’s got great privileges, one of them being the freedom to speak however we please, and the freedom to form opinions and beliefs. But in a world where nearly everything is a two-way communications model, does that freedom still hold true? 

To me, many times it feels like if you don’t have the “politcally-correct” view then, well for lack of a better word, you’re wrong. On Facebook, Twitter, Buzzfeed, nearly every social media or trend setting digital platform, if you’re views are not popular, then you’re wrong. There’s no debate. You’re either considered intolerant, rude, irrelevant, close-minded, selfish, stupid, or wrong.

I guess that’s where the irony lies. If you hold the unpopular view, your so-called intolerance is not tolerated. There’s a fear that the unpopular side holds, and that fear resides in all these wretched names. No wonder they’re unpopular, if they speak up they’ll be shut down.

The last point I want to make is what defines a right, and who holds the power to designate that it is a right? Is it God? The government? Or is it our morality?

I believe in this grand nationstate we confuse rights with privileges. This however is my opinion.

I may view a scene differently than you, but what we need to remember is that we’re all given eyes and discernment, use it with conviction and respect. 

There is one Truth, and the Truth is viewed in many different ways. It’s not about whether or not the Truth is right or wrong, it’s about choosing to accept it and respecting those who choose not to and vice versa. However, respect doesn’t mean to ignore, it means to value.

Home Being Away

It’s a funny thing when you start calling your home away from home… home. It took me awhile to call Syracuse home, mainly because I couldn’t get over the fact that I’m here and I live here. I always thought you can have one home, and that home is Chicago. I’ve quickly realized that when I’m in Syracuse I call Chicago home, but when I’m in Chicago, I call Syracuse home. It’s like a never ending cycle.

The hardest part is when you’re stuck in between. It’s like I’m living in a pathway between two lives. It feels like the two lives will never and should never meet, and when they do, I don’t know how to react, like when my family visits Syracuse or when my friends at school visit Chicago. 

I’ve come to realize that the collision of two different lives is a vulnerable thing. I’m opening up a side of my life that I’ve closed off to that person. They get to see my past or my present in a way that no one ever has. 

I think one of the scariest parts of this whole thing is when I walk off this pathway. When I’m forced to face reality. When I’m forced to make a decision of which world to hold on to and which to allow as a memory

It’s also a frightening thought that no matter how much I want to merge both worlds, it may never happen. All the relationships I’ve developed, all the people I’ve encountered, everyone that I’ve ever had the privilege of conversing with, communicating with may never coexist with one another.

I then realize that the only place this could ever happen is in Heaven.

And that’s the scariest thought of all, is that it won’t happen because not everyone I’ve acquainted myself with will be in Heaven.

But if it were to happen, it would’ve been the most beautiful thing.

This all leads to the thought that each passing moment is fleeting and it will never exist again. Then the fear comes again, but this time it’s the fear of wasting moments, wasting the present.